Vehicles today commonly use forward lighting when initiated by a driver of the vehicle, for example during evening hours. However, use of forward lighting consumes energy, for example in the form of battery and/or electric energy. While use of forward lighting is important to operating vehicle under various conditions, such as during evening hours, it may be desirable to decrease energy consumption from the use of forward lighting for vehicles to the extent feasible. Certain vehicles today have automatic headlamps using an ambient light sensor to turn on lighting that help to decrease energy consumption when ambient light is high, for example during daylight hours. However, it may be advantageous to achieve further decreases in energy consumption, for example in situations in which ambient light is not high, for example during evening hours.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved method for controlling use of forward lighting for vehicles, for example that reduces energy consumption from the use of the forward lighting in situations in which ambient light is not high, for example during evening hours. It is also desirable to provide an improved program product for such controlling of forward lighting for vehicles. It is further desirable to provide an improved system for such controlling of forward lighting for vehicles. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.